Many have complained over the past few months as more and more of the SOC fluff has become available that it is poo, contradictory to older fluff and just plain stupid. However with the rescent launch of the SOC website with its beauty flash map an even greater and far dumber strategic blunder can be argued towards how GW has designed the campaign. Firstly we must address what will certainly happen:
Archaons horde will reach Middenheim.
An important statement but by looking at the map and consulting any of the army book maps this would be a tall order. By the GW map it appears that the bulk of Archaon's forces will make their way to the south pf the Middle Mountians on to Middenheim. Here they face crossing a major river before Hergig, a series of fortifications afterward, and a constantly threatened flank to the south from troops from Talbecland and Talbecheim. In addition the army book map for the Empire their are no significant roads that connect these cities, certainly there are roads but they are smaller and less important then the Old Forest road which connects Middenheim and Talbecheim. So an army that is slogging it's way down narrow conjested roads, faced with fortresses which can sally out to attack them everywhere, and several waterways to cross this is no easy task. A single prong of the attack appears to head straight through the Middle Mountains where after having to find a way threw are faced with the formidable Brass Keep near the end, in such narrow places it will be impossible for chaos to utilize ti's numbers effectively. To the North the more reasonable course of attack comes. A single fortress holds the north as well as North Road running to Salzenmund then on to Middenheim. The north does constantly suffer from Elven raids from the sea as well as the ideal deployment place for the forces of Marienburg, Bretonnia, and any stray Tileans coming in at Marienburg.
Now I know some of you are saying "Some Magical type thing will be able to get the forces of Chaos through to Middenheim" which I no doubt believe could be an explination save for the fact that why expend the energy doing it. If the chaos horde cut through Ostermark, Talabecland, Stirland, and the softer southern provinces Archaon could destroy much of the support Middenheim has making the assualt on the Second most formidable fortress in all of the old world easier.
I guess I really should just stop actaully trying to find logic in GW, but as this is a wargamer I would expect some practical applications of warfare to it.
